


in those times of trouble

by abovetheruins



Category: American Idol RPF
Genre: Cats, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-01
Updated: 2011-01-01
Packaged: 2017-10-24 06:16:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/260031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abovetheruins/pseuds/abovetheruins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Archie goes looking for Cook and runs into some trouble along the way.</p><p>(Also known as the return of Kitty!Cook and Kitty!Archie. Sequel to 'like a resting place'.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	in those times of trouble

Brooke had been thrilled to see him. He'd barely had to scratch at the door for a moment before she'd opened it, her face creased with worry and hope and gosh, Archie had been so happy to see her he'd leapt right into her waiting arms with a gleeful purr.

"Archie! I'm so glad you're alright!" Her warm fingers had stroked through his fur and his eyes had just slipped closed, taking it all in. He could smell the all too familiar scents of his siblings, his mother and father, the soothing scent of _home_.

Brooke cooed over him for a while, scolded him (kind of, anyway. She was stroking his fur the entire time, so Archie didn't think she was _really_ angry) for worrying her, and then released him to his waiting family.

His siblings had tackled him to the ground in a mess of furry limbs and rumbling purrs, Amber and Jazzy practically bombarding him with questions. Where was he? What had happened? Had he run into any dogs? Alley cats?

And... well, the mention of alley cats had gotten him thinking about Cook and his humans and that nice, warm apartment, and he'd been kind of subdued for the rest of the afternoon.

Cook had helped him find his way home just that morning, after Archie had woken up in that basket with his head tucked under the older cat's chin (which, wow, embarrassing. It wasn't Archie's fault that he liked to press up against something warm when he slept, it was a reflex!) Archie had thanked him over and over once his own apartment complex had come into view and he'd seen Brooke's open window, the one overflowing with her flowers, once he'd heard the soft piano music coming from inside.

Cook had grinned at him, batted his paw lightly against Archie's head to shut him up. "I told you, it was no problem, kid," he had said, nudging him toward the building. "Now, go on. I'm sure your human is worried about you."

"Um, yeah, but-" and Archie had hesitated, because even though he loved his human and had missed her and his family so much last night (he had thought for a moment there, cold and wet and _alone_ , that he might never see them again), he, well. He didn't really want to leave Cook either.

(Which made absolutely no sense, he'd just met Cook last night, had thought the other cat was going to _attack_ him, gosh).

He had wanted to ask, "Will I see you again?" or even if he could maybe... go back, sometime? To Adam and Kris and their warm little apartment with all of their _music_ and-

But he hadn't. He had just mumbled a quick, embarrassed thank you and raced off toward his building, ignoring the hard little pitter-patter of his heart and the sharp sting of disappointment that clung to his tongue.

Days later he still couldn't get the tom out of his head. It didn't help that his sisters kept bugging him about the whole thing (they'd gotten these wistful, dreamy expressions on their faces when he told them about how Cook had rescued him from the rain, it was _weird_ ). At least his parents and brother didn't join in with them; his parents were just happy that he'd gotten home safely, his brother just hadn't seemed to care (other than to laugh at Archie for getting so caught up in his own head that he'd managed to get lost, sigh).

He thought about going to see Cook again, didn't think the other cat would mind. He didn't entirely know what he'd say ( _"I wanted to see you again"_ , maybe, which, no. He couldn't say _that_!) He even talked to his mother about it, phrased his words carefully, told her that he just wanted to talk to the cat who was kind enough to shelter him from the rain, thank him again. She'd only nodded along to his words, licked his ear gently once he'd finished. "Just be careful," she'd said, and Archie had almost purred with relief, bounding out of the flap in Brooke's front door and into the mid-afternoon light.

Cook's scent trail was long gone, just the faintest trace left to guide him. He recognized his surroundings, though, enough so that he could retrace his steps with little trouble. The usual human scents filled his nose as he walked, the stench of cars making his tongue curl in distaste, traces of other cats, food from the storefront restaurants (which he avoided, remembering with an embarrassed flush what had happened the last time he'd gotten distracted by the music drifting from one of those cafe's).

The sight of Cook's apartment complex made his ears perk, swiveling to and fro atop his head as he searched for any sign of the other tom. He followed the creaky steps up to the third floor, retraced the familiar path to the door at the end of the hall. He sat there for a moment, head cocked as he contemplated how exactly he could get the attention of Cook's humans.

He mewed, at first, a bit embarrassed by the tiny sound (nowhere near the volume of Cook's own gravelly cry). The door remained stubbornly closed. He huffed, giving his chest fur a quick lick (and oh my gosh, he'd never even bothered to give himself a wash this morning, he probably looked like the stray Cook's humans had mistaken him for before!).

The door sprung open with no warning just as he was trying to flatten the stubborn tuft of fur at the top of his head, making him yowl with surprise, fur bristling all along his back and shoulders.

"Hey!" He looked up to see Kris bending down to his level, fingers reaching out to run along Archie's ears. "You're the little guy from before, aren't you? The stray Cook brought home."

Archie let the stray comment slide, too busy arching his back under Kris' fingers, chest rumbling as he purred (he was a sucker for the feel of a human's nails scritching through his fur, he couldn't help it!)

Kris chuckled, scratching underneath Archie's chin. "If you're looking for Cook I'm afraid you're out of luck. He ran off somewhere this morning."

Archie fought the urge to pout, purr rumbling to a stop in his chest. All of that worrying and Cook wasn't even home? _Dang it_.

"Sorry, little guy." Kris gave him one last pat on the head before getting to his feet, heading down the stairs Archie had just taken up moments before.

 _Well_ , he thought, curling his tail around his paws, hazel eyes thoughtful. _What should I do now_? He wasn't ready to give up yet just because he couldn't catch Cook at home. _I can just look for him. After all,_ he reasoned, _he can't have gone too far._ As long as he followed the other cat's scent, it shouldn't be too difficult to find him.

Mind made up, Archie got to his feet, stretching out his back legs for a moment before he bounded down the staircase, paws padding along the metal steps until they reached the concrete sidewalk outside. He sniffed the air gently, opening his mouth to catch the wayward strands of Cook's scent on the glands within. The elusive tom's trail led down the street; Archie followed after it, taking twists and turns without truly realizing where he was going, focused as he was on finding the other cat. It wasn't until he reached the edge of the local park that he payed any attention to his surroundings (at least he _knew_ where he was, this time).

He was just about to bound onto the thick, warm grass when another scent filled his nose. He froze as the heavy, unpleasant odor flooded his senses, back arching in a silent hiss as his eyes jerked from side to side.

_Dog!_

He spun around wildly, heart thumping in his chest as he searched for the source of the scent. It was almost on him when he finally caught it - a great, black beast of a thing, eyes glittering over a massive jaw full of sharp teeth (and focused entirely on _him_ , oh my gosh!)

Archie took off like a shot, heart pounding. He heard the dog give chase behind him, the furious barking sending the fur bristling along his back, paws pounding the earth as he ran as fast as he could.

 _Oh gosh, oh gosh._ He was almost disoriented by his fear, searching for a tree that he could scramble up, knew that if he wasn't quick enough the dog would catch him and, and-

There was a furious hissing behind him, the sharp, sudden bite of the dog's yelp and Archie spun around, dirt flying from his claws. A familiar, warm scent filled his nose and he sucked in a breath at the sight before him. _Cook!_

The other tom was scrambling over the dog's back, claws buried in its coarse fur. His ears were pressed flat against his skull, tawny fur on end, yowling as he scraped his nails against the dog's flank. To Archie's surprise there were two others with him, a black she-cat with fierce, glowing eyes, her teeth snapping at the dog's scruff, and another tom with ruffled tabby fur, swiping at the dog's nose with his claws.

It didn't take much. The dog yelped and stumbled under the weight of the three thrashing cats, unable to fight back under the onslaught of their claws. They released him simultaneously (the tabby giving him one last swift strike across the muzzle) and watched as he raced away. Archie saw a human at the other side of the park carrying a leash, hands cupped around their mouth as they called for the fleeing canine.

"Stupid mutt." The black she-cat was pawing at her face with a wet paw, trying to get her fur into some semblance of order. She was long and sleek, the only spot of color on her coat a white tuft of fur on her chest. The tabby, who was larger and dappled with shades of brown and black, was on the ground at her feet, stretching out his front paws and opening his mouth in a massive yawn.

Archie felt his mouth drop open a bit at the sight of them, so calm and relaxed even after facing down a _dog_ , and oh, oh my gosh-

"Cook!" The sudden burst of his voice made all three cats look at him. Embarrassed, he fought against the urge to hide his face. "You all just... You saved me." _Again_.

Breathing hard, Cook pressed himself against Archie's side, folding his paws up underneath him. His fur was sticking up in all directions, mussed from the fight. "Nice to see you again, Archie." The rough timber of his voice was like a shock to Archie's ears; a purr built up in his throat just at the sound of it.

"Oh, so this is Archie, huh?" The tabby cat stared at him with jovial eyes, bowing his head in greeting. "Cook's not been able to shut up about you, mate," he said, voice coated with amusement.

"Shut up, Mike." The she-cat flicked her tail at the tom's face with considerable force. The tabby - Mike? - squawked in surprise (but not before Archie caught Cook's somewhat embarrassed gaze). "If you can manage it, that is." She turned warm, expectant eyes on Archie. "I'm Carly," she said, ears flicking. "This idiot here," she gestured with a twitch of her tail, "is my mate. Don't hold that against me."

"Hey!" Mike swiped at the appendage with mock outrage, pinning it beneath his paws with a cry of triumph. He turned back to Archie when Carly yanked it from his grasp, his gaze mischievous. "Nice to meet you, kid. You alright?"

"Oh! Yeah! I'm, uh. I'm fine!" His fur was still on end from the fright, heart still racing (which had nothing, he assured himself, to do with the auburn cat pressed against him), but at least the dog hadn't been able to get close enough to do him any real harm. "Um, thank you, so much. All of you."

"It's not a problem, Arch," Cook's voice rumbled against his ear. He jumped at the sudden press of a nose to the fur of his cheek, tail curling and uncurling at a frenzied pace against his side. "You sure you're alright?"

"I-I'm okay." Now that the excitement of the encounter had worn off, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed that he'd needed Cook and the others to come to his rescue. "Sorry, about the dog. I wasn't paying attention and I didn't scent him until it was too late so - "

"You don't have to apologize," Cook chided, swiping a heavy paw over Archie's nose. "I was - Er." He paused, eyes shifting away and paws kneading at the ground. If Archie didn't know better, he'd say the other cat was _nervous_. " _We_ were happy to help, I mean."

"What had you so distracted, anyway?" Mike piped up, eyes twinkling. He's stretched out on his belly in the sunlight, soaking up the late afternoon rays. Archie's a little wary of his devious expression.

"Must have been pretty important," Carly agreed, pausing in her washing. Her fur's settled thick and clean again against her torso and chest, free of the dust and grit kicked up from the fight. "That dog was almost on you before we saw you take off."

"O-oh." The words clogged his throat - _I wanted to see Cook again_ sounds too childish, too embarrassing, partly because of the way these new cats are staring at him and partly because he still can't explain why finding the tom had been so important to him. "I.. I was - "

"Lay off it, you two," Cook growled, thankfully cutting in before Archie could make a fool of himself. "C'mon, Arch." He quickly licked a paw and swiped it over his face a few times, nudging Archie's shoulder as he rose to his paws. "I'll walk you home."

Archie couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of his throat - Cook's hasty washing had done little to actually clean the dirt from his coat. Instead, it was sticking up in all directions, sharp, slick points of red and tawny fur that made the tom look like he'd been caught in a burst of wind. Cook sends him a dry look at his laughter, which only makes him laugh even more, mewling into his paws at the tom's utterly unamused expression.

His mirth must have made him brave, somehow, or at least helped to dampen the nervous flutter in his stomach, because in the next instant he's asking - through bursts of his laughter - if he can stay.

"Just, um." He faltered, glancing at Carly and Mike and wishing they weren't close enough to him him. (So, maybe not so brave after all.) "For a little while? If you don't mind! I - " His voice lowered, his next words coming out in a near whisper. Cook cocked an ear at him, leaning in as if they were about to share a secret. "I was - I was trying to find you, earlier. Before the - before the dog." He doesn't provide an explanation as to _why_ , and hoped Cook didn't ask for it.

"You can stay, Arch." Cook's voice was low and friendly, suffused with warmth. His slanted eyes - once Archie summoned up the courage to look up into them - were bright and happy, and a little amused. It sets Archie's mind at ease, that his confession wasn't met with confusion or annoyance as he might have feared.

"Yeah, you can come with us!" Mike bumps their shoulders together, nearly sending Archie's sprawling into the dirt. "We can show you around."

"Sounds like a good idea." Carly settled into place beside her mate, completing their half-circle. "Maybe once you're familiar with our usual haunts you won't get into trouble next time you come looking for Cook, hmm?" She winked at Archie over Mike's shoulder, whiskers twitching with amusement (Archie figured it was time he resigned himself to the fact that these cats were going to spend the bulk of their time together teasing him mercilessly.)

"O-oh, mmm." He doesn't know whether to deny her words or hide his face in his paws - it's a toss up between the two, at this point.

She was about to say something more - what, Archie had no idea - when a long, tawny tail smacked her in the face, none too gently. Three pairs of eyes shifted toward Cook - the tom was ignoring them (or pretending to), seemingly immersed in washing his face. The slight curl of his mouth ruined that illusion pretty quickly, though.

Carly looked murderous. "You -!" With a twitch of her tail she was off, black paws kicking up dust as she chased after Cook, shouting threats and promised future acts of bodily violence if she were to ever catch up with him. Archie could hear Cook's wild laughter over her angry meows.

Mike shook his head, shrugged as if to say _What are you gonna do?_ and tore off after them. "Wait up, you two!"

Archie watched them from a distance, a streak of red and black and brown racing over the grass, their shouts and meows and laughter drifting through the air. They'd saved him, those cats, had teased him and offered their friendship and asked him to stay. It was a nice feeling, he decided, and a welcome change from the somber, subdued way he'd felt before, moping around Brooke's apartment during those long days after Cook had led him home.

A yelp echoed out over the park, Carly's triumphant "Ha!" following soon after, Cook's indignant, "Archie! I could use a little help here!" on its heels. Chest rumbling with laughter, Archie flicked his tail, crouched low to the ground, and sped off after them.


End file.
